


The Last Goodbye

by geekyjez



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Goodbyes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekyjez/pseuds/geekyjez
Summary: Pathfinder Macen Barro asked Avitus Rix to oversee his entry into cryo. He said he wanted Avi's face to be the last thing he saw in the Milky Way.He got his wish.





	

“Too bad there’s not room in here for two, huh?”

Avitus scoffed, the sound chittering in his throat as he kept his eyes on the console. “Like I’d want to wake up after 600 years of your bony ass digging into me,” he muttered. He glanced up only briefly as Macen chuckled. The Pathfinder looked like he was being packed for shipping, standing idly in the cryo pod while Avitus triple-checked the life support stasis controls. Cushions molded to the shape of Macen’s form, supporting his neck and fringe, hugging snugly against his narrow waist - not unlike the custom-cut foam Avitus was used to seeing in weapons shipments. It made him look ridiculous - even more so with the lopsided grin he was wearing.

“I’ll be sure to be there when they pull you out of cryo,” Macen offered.

“That’s really not necessary,” Avitus said distractedly, pulling up the UI for temperature control.

“Oh, it is. Believe me,” Macen continued. “I’ll be armed with something loaded with caffeine. You’re a cranky bastard in the mornings, Avi. I’d hate to see what you’re like after a half-millenia snooze.”

Avitus merely grumbled, scanning the readings. Macen leaned forward, casting a cursory glance down both ends of the cryo bay before reaching his hand out. “Hey,” he said, his voice softening, “Come here.”

Avitus hesitated, his eyes following the same path Macen’s had a moment before. It wasn’t that he was ashamed. He had no reason to be, refused to be, and anyone who would judge him could go fuck themselves. But Macen was his superior officer and old military habits die hard. No one in the turian forces would have cared if the two of them decided to blow off some steam but this - this thing between them - it went deeper than that. Much deeper.

For now, Avitus wanted to focus on their jobs, to keep their more intimate connection private. At least that way no one could question Macen’s judgement when it came to having Avitus as his second.

Reassured that they were alone, Avitus stepped up to the foot of the pod. Macen leaned forward, bracing himself with one hand on the pod’s frame while the other sought the front of his uniform, tugging him closer. Their brows met and Avitus let his eyes close with a sigh. It was a touching gesture.

A lover’s gesture.

“We’re going to make it through this, Avi,” he whispered, his subvocals buzzing low.

“I’m not worried-”

“Yes. You are,” Macen said firmly. He tilted his head, mandibles twitching as he nuzzled them against his own. “It’s alright to admit that. But everything is going to be fine.”

Avitus squeezed his eyes shut tighter. “You can’t know that.” He wouldn’t go so far as to admit to being afraid. He could handle fear. It was the uncertainty that got to him, that had kept him up this past week, wondering if they were making a mistake.

“I do,” Macen hummed. “You know why?” He pulled back, mandibles flaring in a self-satisfied smirk. “Because I’m in charge.”

Avitus let out a half-hearted laugh, shaking his head. “Pompous ass.”

The insult held no heat. No malice. Avitus let himself return the nuzzling, burying his face against the side of Macen’s neck before letting out a slow sigh.

“It’s just like taking a nap,” Macen reassured him. “And I’ll be there when you wake up. You’ll be the last thing I see in the Milky Way and I’ll be the first thing you see in Andromeda.”

Avitus huffed out a laugh. “I’d like that,” he admitted.

Macen’s arm looped around him, as much of an embrace as he could offer leaning half-out of his pod, his fingers scratching lightly at the back of Avitus’s carapace through his shirt. “And when everything is said and done,” he continued, “you and I will find some quiet little place to ourselves, so you can live out your retirement like an old man.”

Avitus knew it was a joke at his expense, but the idea warmed him all the same. The two of them, a fresh start, somewhere new where they wouldn’t be restricted by the chain of command, where they could just be civilians. Where they could just _be_. No more covert ops. No more killing for cowards too frightened to do their own dirty work. Just the two of them on a golden world, learning to live the kind of life he’d never allowed himself to have.

Avitus looked up, meeting Macen’s eyes and he could tell the man was thinking the same thing. There would be obstacles to overcome when they got there, but they could make this work. Macen would find them a new home and Avitus would be there, right by his side, every step of the way. And once they left the Milky Way behind, once they left Palaven and turian command and took their first look at Andromeda, things would be different. _They_ would be different.

Macen’s hand moved up into his fringe, stroking only briefly before falling away. “Now tell me goodnight and push the button,” he said, taking a breath as he straightened himself in his pod. “The sooner I go under, the sooner we’ll be there, right?”

“Right.” Avitus cleared his throat, retracing his steps back to the console. Part of him wanted to run the diagnostic again, to make certain everything was properly calibrated, but he knew he’d only be stalling. It was time.

He punched in the sequence, watching as the pod stirred into life, the door beginning to close. “Sleep well, Pathfinder.”

Macen smiled. “Love you, Avi.” He winked. “See you soon.”

Avitus didn’t have time to respond before the pod sealed with a hiss, the small window already starting to crystalize with frost, obscuring Macen’s features. The arms holding the pod lifted, bending outstretched limbs as Avitus watched him slide into place among the other sleeping crewmembers.

“I love you too, Macen,” he whispered.

It was the last time he’d get to say those words.

**Author's Note:**

> Got suddenly swept away by this idea after discussing Macen x Avitus on tumblr. Had to write it down before it got away from me.


End file.
